i grew up in corpus christi, texas, and i grew up in a family of volunteers, and a family and community of people that wanted to get back. my three sisters and i were very blessed to have great role models, which were my parents, who dedicated their lives to serving others. my mother was a special education teacher. yay, teachers. my father worked on the army base, but my parents were crystal clear on what they wanted for us, and that was in education, and so what we did to give back was in the educational arena. i love that president obama has the same values. he knows that for our nation, a good education can not be a luxury. it is imperative that we will create jobs, strengthen the middle class and build a workforce that will keep us innovative and in a global market. like you, he knows that giving our students the tools they need to succeed is the best way to give back, so if you are thinking about how you could serve or follow the president's example, to honor this national day of service, start with this -- make a difference in one child's life. mentor a student. donate a book to